My Soldier
by NeverSayNever95
Summary: Just a little story about Alice and Jasper. All human. Based on the song "Soldier" by Anna Nalick.


**This is my first Twilight story, so go easy on me. It's based on the song "Soldier" by Anna Nalick, but it's not exactly the same because I couldn't have Jasper leave Alice for another girl. It's the longest one-shot I've ever written, so I just hope I didn't make it too long. **

**Enjoy!**

**0o0**

_**He was a soldier**_

_**He always was**_

_**He left his city to fight for America**_

_**We fell in love to music**_

_**We were just kids**_

_**We didn't have time to be sorry for what we did**_

**Alice's POV**

We first met when I was just six years old. We were on a playground, and some boys were teasing me about my hair. See, my mom wouldn't cut it because she thought it was "just too beautiful." I never really got it – it was just black hair – but whatever…it wasn't my choice.

Anyways, these three boys were about eight, and they were pulling on my braid while I tried to climb up the jungle-gym and I was barely hanging on at this point. And not even that was enough. They kept calling me "braid-butt" – I know, right? – because that's how far down my hair went.

For some reason, my older brothers were nowhere to be found, and if I had been the type of child to cry, I would've right then. My fingers were hurting from hanging on to the bar, and I was starting to get a headache from how hard they were pulling on my hair. Then, just as I was about to let go, I heard a thump, a yell, and then the pressure on my hair stopped. I slowly climbed down the small ladder, then turned around to see what had happened.

I was surprised to see a little blonde boy who actually looked younger then the bullies hitting the biggest boy repeatedly. He was yelling something, but I was so shocked it took me a minute to hear him.

"…not…supposed to…pick on…girls! Not…her fault…her hair is…long!" he finally stopped hitting the bully, who looked like he was on the verge of tears, and added, "Go pick on someone else you big jerk!"

The three boys ran off as fast as their tubby little legs would take them, and the blonde boy turned to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a voice that was weirdly serious for how young he was.

"Yeah," I replied shyly, "Thanks for that. I was about to fall."

"It's okay. Do you want me to walk you back to your mom?" he asked, moving closer to me.

"Umm…yeah."

He grabbed my hand and I led him to my mother. I tapped on her leg, and she looked up, surprised, from her newspaper.

"Hey there, Alice baby!" she said cheerfully. "Who's your friend?"

I didn't know his name, so I looked at him to answer.

"I'm Jasper, ma'am. Some boys were pulling Alice's braid, but I made them go away. I walked her back so they wouldn't come back."

"Well thank you Jasper," she responded, looking surprised at how grown-up he was acting. Then she asked, "How old are you sweetie pie?"

"I'm seven," he announced proudly. "I have to go back to my mommy now."

He turned to me and said, "Bye, Alice."

"Bye Jasper." I replied, and I watched the strange boy walk back across the playground.

0o0

The second time we met, I was a junior in high school, and he was the new kid. He walked into the office right before the bell rang, wearing clothes that made it clear how rich he was. He didn't look arrogant, though, which was refreshing. Most of the guys here were impossible to be around for more than five minutes.

I was an office aide first period, so I decided to find out more about him – I mean, help him out.

"Hi there!" I said cheerfully as I walked up to him.

He looked surprised, then responded in an adorable southern accent, "Um, hello. I'm supposed to pick up my schedule?"

"Well I can help with that. What's your name?" I asked, walking around the desk to look at the computer.

"Jasper Whitlock. I'm a senior." Huh. That name combined with his curly blonde hair struck a chord in my memory, but I wasn't exactly sure why.

He started giving me a weird look, and I realized I was staring at him. "Sorry, you just…look kinda familiar." I shook myself and pressed the button to print out his schedule. "Here you go."

"Thanks," he took the schedule from my outstretched hand. "You know, you look kinda familiar, too. What's your name?"

"Alice Cullen."

"Huh…"

"Anyway, do you want me to show you where your classes are? I'm just an office aide, so I can basically do whatever."

"Yeah, thanks. My cousin is a senior here, too, but she seems to have abandoned me. Something about her boyfriend."

"Oh yeah? Who's your cousin?"

"Rosalie Hale. You know her?" He asked, probably because I started laughing once he said Rosalie.

"Oh yeah! She's dating my big brother. I can definitely imagine her abandoning you. They're inseparable…it's actually a little repulsive."

We both laughed as he opened the door for me and followed me out.

0o0

"I think I might have figured out why you seem familiar." Jasper said as we walked to lunch. We'd decided to walk together since we would no doubt end up at the same table anyway.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. When I was seven my mom and I were at a park and I met a little black-haired girl named Alice. It didn't register at first 'cause she had _really _long hair. Was that you?"

"You know, I think I do remember that. You saved me from those bullies." I finished with a smile.

"Yeah, well, my mama always told me to help a girl in need."

"How sweet. But I don't remember you having a southern accent back then."

"That's because I moved to Texas about a year after that. I just moved back a couple of weeks ago." He explained.

"Why'd you move?" I asked. I wasn't trying to be nosy, really. It just comes naturally.

And just like that, his face closed off. I didn't know exactly what I said, so I tried backtracking.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry; I'm just a naturally curious person. My brothers are always telling me to knock it off." I realized I was starting to ramble, so I shut up.

He gave me a small, sad smile before saying, "It's okay. I uh, moved to Texas because my parents died. I had to move in with my Aunt Elizabeth in Texas."

Wow. My brothers are right, I _do_ need to start keeping my mouth shut. And yet, "I'm so sorry. Why'd you move back? Crap, I'm sorry. Just ignore me." Oh my God! Someone muzzle me or something!

He gave kind of a sad chuckle sort of thing and replied, "Really, it's fine. It was just, um, some ex-girlfriend drama. So now I'm back here with Rosalie and her parents."

This guy had some major issues. Which explained why I liked him so much…I just can't stay away from guys like that. It caused some issues, but what's a girl to do?

"Serious enough to move away?" His face got that closed off look again, and I mentally slapped myself.

"Sorry. Seriously, just ignore me. Oh look! People! Let's talk to them!" Anything to get that look off his face.

"Hey sis! Who's your boyfriend?" Emmett said in his typically loud voice as we reached his table.

"Yeah, Alice. Are we gonna have to beat someone up again?" Edward said, only slightly quieter than our brother.

"Oh bite me. And I still haven't forgiven you guys for that!" Jasper looked a little confused at this point, though not scared, which was impressive, seeing as my brothers both look like they could kick some major ass. Nevertheless, I decided to alleviate his confusion. "At the beginning of my freshman year, one of their friends made the mistake of calling me hot within range of their hearing. Poor guy couldn't walk for a week."

"Just protecting our baby sister!" Emmett and Edward said simultaneously. They're twins, so they do weird things like that all the time.

I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, this is Jasper Whitlock. He's Rose's cousin, and he just moved here from Texas." I pointed at him as I said this, and he looked a little uncomfortable at being the center of attention. "So, are Rose and Bella in line, or did they finally realize that they're wasting their time with you idiots and leave for Mike and Tyler?"

"Shut up! They could never find anyone as good as us." Emmett responded proudly.

Edward rolled his eyes at his childish twin, then turned to me and said, "They're in line. Probably towards the front by now."

I gave him a kiss on the cheek and said cheerfully. "Thanks! You always were my favorite!" I went on, ignoring Emmett's cries of outrage, "Take care of this one 'till I get back." Then I gave Jasper a quick peck on the cheek too, surprising everyone, even myself, and went to find the girls.

0o0

"ROSE!" I yelled once I'd found her and Edward's girlfriend, Bella, earning a few strange looks. Not many though, because most of the people here were used to my weirdness.

"Ow!" she replied, clapping her hands over her ears. "What?"

"_Why_, didn't you tell me you had a hot cousin?" I asked indignantly.

"I have a hot cousin?" she asked.

I gave her one of my _seriously? _looks and replied, "Um, hello? Jasper? He moved here from Texas and is now _living with you!_"

"Oh right. I completely forgot he was coming today."

I rolled my eyes as Bella said, "What am I, chopped liver?"

"Sorry Bells." I said, giving her a big hug. "You know how I get when we have new students. It so rarely happens, and for it to be a hot guy that I have an excuse to hang out with without seeming creepy?"

"I know, I know, you just can't resist. So, will he be your next victim?"

"I don't know." I said, thinking about it for the first time. "His life has been so suckish already, I don't really wanna play with him. I might just have to keep this one."

And even though we laughed, I got the feeling that we all knew I wasn't kidding.

0o0

"Hey Jasper!" I exclaimed as he and Rosalie walked through the front door. It had been about four months since he'd arrived, and he and his cousin were coming over to "study". Rose and Emmett would no doubt spend the entire time making out, as would Edward and Bella, and I had a mission of my own.

"Hey Alice!" he replied, slightly out of breath since I'd jumped on him, and he was now holding me in his arms. It felt really nice, but he put me down almost immediately. Damn him and his gentleman crap.

I sighed and motioned for Jasper to follow me to my room to study, pausing for a moment for Jasper to say hello to Carlisle and Esme in the kitchen.

About an hour later, I decided to put my plan into action. "So, Jasper, are you going to the dance?"

He looked startled, since we'd barely spoken. "Oh, right, the dance. When is it again?"

Well, at least he wasn't going with anyone else. "Two weeks from tomorrow."

"Oh. Probably not. Why?"

"Well, we're all going, and I'm the only one without a date, so I was just thinking it'd be easier if you went with me." I said as casually as I could.

"Why don't you take one of the guys at school that's always falling all over you?" he asked in his adorable twang. I was so glad it hadn't started to go away. I loved it.

"Ugh. They're all so boring. I've known all of them practically since birth, which means I know way more about all of them than I would ever want to." I replied.

"Come on. I'm sure you could find _someone_ to go with." He said with a small smile on his face that made me want to kiss him then and there.

"Whatever. Forget I said anything." I said, trying desperately to keep the frustration out of my voice. This was how it had been since his first day, when he told me all that stuff about himself. Most of the time he acted like I was his best friends annoying little sister, which I guess I technically was. But then there were these moments when he'd look at me a certain way, or say something so sweet that I was sure he thought of me as more than that. This was_ not _one of those moments.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, he said hesitantly, "Alice?"

"Yeah?" I replied, not even bothering to look up from my homework. If I did, I knew I wouldn't be able to stay mad at him, or even annoyed.

"I'm sorry." He said softly.

That did it. I finally looked at him, but I was too mad for his gaze to calm me down. "For what, Jasper? Treating me like some annoying little girl who follows you around all the time? Or for confusing the hell out of me? I mean seriously? Do you think I can't see that look you get in your eyes sometimes, like I'm some amazing creature? And every time, I think 'Awesome! He finally likes me back!' And then you go back to treating me like an irritating little sister, whose crush you have to indulge!"

He didn't say a word, and that's what finally made me give up.

"Whatever, Jasper." I said, and then I walked out, too pissed to care that I was storming out of my own room.

0o0

It was the night of the dance, and I was alone on the edge of the dance floor. Jasper and I had barely spoken in two weeks, and I was too depressed to have fun with any of the others guys at the dance. So I was stuck here, watching Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, and Bella slow dance together. After a couple minutes, I was in danger of either crying or killing someone, so I turned around to leave. The guys could get a ride home from their girlfriends…or not. Whatever, I didn't care.

I was almost to the door when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was about to tell whoever it was to leave me alone when I heard a familiar twang say, "Alice, would you like to dance?"

I turned around slowly, not allowing myself to hope he was here for me. "Thanks, but no thanks." I said, and turned back around to leave before my resolve weakened.

But his soft voice stopped me. "Please? Just let me explain everything." His eyes looked so sad and earnest that I couldn't say no, so I put my hand in his outstretched one and let him lead me to the dance floor.

"So? I'm waiting."

He sighed, then launched into his explanation. "I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you. It was inexcusable. I just…there's so much sh…stuff in my life, that I didn't think I could ever have a normal relationship. And when I saw you, and got to know you, I knew you deserved so much better than normal, so I kept telling myself I didn't want you. It never occurred to me that _you _might want_ me._ I'm really, really sorry."

I looked at him steadily for a minute, deciding whether or not he was telling the truth. Finally, I said, "So you're telling me that the reason you've been treating me like crap is that you thought you weren't good enough for me?" My voice was incredulous.

He looked down sheepishly and replied, "Well, yeah."

So I kissed him. And to my complete relief, he kissed me back after a couple of shocked seconds. I knew my big brothers were probably glaring at Jasper, contemplating all the different ways there were to kill him, but I really couldn't care less.

When we finally broke apart, I said, somewhat breathlessly, "You are such an idiot."

0o0

Jasper and I were happy together, but every once in a while, he would have his moods. I liked to call them his time of the month, even though they didn't occur even _that_ often.

During one of these moods, I finally asked him what was wrong.

"It's nothing. Don't mind me." He answered, trying to smile and appear cheerful.

"That's crap and we both know it. Seriously, what gets you into these moods?"

He sighed and pulled me onto his lap from my seat next to him. He turned up the TV a little so Emmett and Rosalie couldn't hear us across the living room. Although, they were so involved in their make out session I doubt they would've heard us if we'd yelled.

"Have I ever told you about Maria?"

"Who's that?" I asked confusedly.

"I'll take that as a no." he sighed again, then launched into his story. "She was my girlfriend back in Texas-"

"You mean the one that made you move back here?"

"Yeah. Anyways, we started going out the summer before sophomore year, and everyone thought we were the perfect couple. She was gorgeous, and I was the school's golden boy-"

"What happened?"

"You know, this'll go a lot faster if you stop interrupting."

"Sorry," I said sheepishly, and mimicked locking my mouth and throwing away the key.

"Okay. Anyway, she always knew my views on sex before marriage-my mama raised me like a true southern gentleman-and she was fine with it, for awhile. Then, at the beginning of senior year, she kept making hints about it. I told her again and again I wouldn't do it, and pretty soon she started getting mad. She thought there was another reason I wouldn't sleep with her. Her explanations were crazy-she wasn't pretty enough, I was cheating on her…it was insane. I told her that I was just old fashioned, but things finally exploded one weekend.

Her parents were gone for a couple days, so she invited me over. I was nervous about it, but I was no coward, and I wouldn't just ignore her. When I got there, though, she was dressed in very…little…and she dragged me upstairs to her room. I'd finally had enough, so I told her I was tired of it and broke up with her.

And that was that, at first. Then, she decided to get revenge on me. Apparently I was the first guy to ever dump Maria-"

"What'd she do?" I asked, forgetting my promise. He gave me a look, so I held my hands up in apology. "Sorry, go on."

"Thank you. She, uh…she…accused me of raping her." I gasped, but he just ignored me and kept going. "She said that she'd invited me over that weekend to study, and that I'd been bugging her about sex for weeks. She told the police that I finally lost my temper, dragged her upstairs, and raped her, then broken up with her. There was a trial, and I was found innocent, but I could tell some people thought I was guilty. Mostly guys at my school who were in love with Maria. But my aunt finally decided I should come live here with my other aunt."

I was silent for a minute, then said, "I'm so sorry, Jasper. I never realized…I mean your parents dying was bad enough, but then this? What a bitch!"

He laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

I gave him a peck on the lips, then said, "Okay, so now I know why you have these moods. And as much right as you have to them, I just gotta say it-cheer up."

He looked surprised, so I went on. "You cannot think that it's your fault. Don't deny it! I know that you're not feeling bad for yourself, because that's just not you. So hear me-_it was not your fault._ So what some skank tried to ruin your life? You have a family here that loves you, and I will _not _let you feel bad about something that you had no control over!"

He gave me a weird look, and I was about to ask what was wrong when he said, "I love you, Alice."

I was taken aback for a moment-we had never said that before in the six months we'd been dating. But then I recovered and answered, "I love you, too, Jasper."

0o0

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Come on Alice, this is just something I have to do."

"My ass! You don't _have _to join the army! You're only eighteen!" He was being way too calm. I needed him to be as hysterical and crazy as I was.

"I know. I just…I can't…I don't know. I just have to do something. We're in a war, and it just doesn't feel right for me to stay here safe while others risk their lives every day to keep it that way."

"And what about me? I have to lose my boyfriend just because he has some retarded sense of duty that insists he risk his life? I really don't see how that's fair." It also wasn't fair that he could look at me with those sad eyes and make me want to forgive and forget and just let him run off to Iraq.

"I know, Alice," he said soothingly, wrapping me in his strong arms. I could already feel myself calming down. "Just please, try to understand. This is something I need to do." He repeated, only this time, it didn't make me angry. Just sad.

"How long would you be gone for?" I asked in a small voice.

"Just six months." He replied just as softly, kissing my temple.

"And you wouldn't do anything stupid like go back, would you?" He didn't say anything, so I repeated, "Would you?" and gave him a threatening look.

He gave me one of his sweet smiles that took my breath away. "No, I wouldn't go back."

"Promise?"

"Promise," he chuckled.

I buried my face in his neck, so my voice was muffled when a minute later I said, "Jasper, if you get yourself killed over there, I swear to God I'll bring you back and strangle you."

"I love you, Alice." He said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I love you, too." I replied grudgingly.

0o0

The whole time Jasper was in Iraq, my life passed by in a blur. I tried to stay my usual cheerful self, but my heart just wasn't in it. Thank god everyone knew the reason for my mood, because I don't think I could have dealt with them trying to cheer me up. Instead, they were all there for me. When I called Bella or Rosalie up in the middle of the night crying, they didn't ask questions, just talked to me until I fell asleep. No one watched the news when I was in the room, because there was always a story about Iraq, and it would make me start hyperventilating.

Edward and Emmett were also surprisingly helpful. Emmett didn't pull any pranks on me, which I knew was a feat for him, and Edward was just…Edward. He'd always been the more sensitive of my twin brothers, and even though Emmett was a giant teddy bear, Edward just seemed to know everything. He always knew when I was feeling particularly angry, or depressed, or brooding, and he always knew the right thing to do. Whether it was just squeezing my hand, giving me a hug, or bringing me home some cheesecake from his job at The Cheesecake Factory, he did it.

Bella and Rose were my rocks. They both knew exactly how I felt, because they would feel the same way if Edward or Emmett were in Jasper's situation. When there was a long wait between letters from him, they would make up stories about him being such a good soldier that they made him a spy, and he couldn't write because he loved me so much that he would tell me, and that would put me in danger. Gotta love the imaginations of teenage girls.

Finally, my six months of misery were almost up, and the letter I got from Jasper made me so happy I cried.

_Dear Alice,_

_Hey baby. I don't know how you've been these past months, but I've been miserable without you. It will definitely be easy to keep my promise to you never to come back._

_I carry that picture you sent me of you with me wherever I go, and I pull it out whenever I think I'm about to go insane. The other guys are always making fun of me, saying I'm too young to be so attached to one girl. There's one man who understands, though. His name is Paul. He and his wife have been married for 25 years. They got married when they were 19, and whenever he talks about her, I swear it's like listening to myself when someone asks me about you._

_I know I'm rambling, but I also know that you love to know everything, so I'm trying my best. Anyways, to get the point of my letter, (not that it needs it, but this letter actually has a good one), tomorrow will be my last day of active duty. After that, I'll be shipped back home. I'm not going to tell you when exactly I'm getting in, because I know you'll camp out at the airport for days in advance and make everyone come with you. You'll just have to wait until I knock on your door, and I promise that your house will be the first place I go. I love you and I'll see you soon._

_I'm coming home._

_Love you always,_

_Jasper_

0o0

A week later, Jasper still wasn't home, and I was starting to get worried. Or, well, not started, but, you know, got more worried. I didn't know how long exactly it had taken Jasper's letter to get to me, but I _did _know that he should've been home by now. So, my brain being what it is, I kept imagining scary scenarios, almost all of them featuring some horrible accident that meant my boyfriend wouldn't be coming home.

It was getting ridiculous, really. Every time the door rang, I jumped up and ran to the window, hoping it would be my Jasper. After a few days of this, Edward and Emmett threatened to tie me down, and pretty soon I just gave up. I did what I had promised myself I wouldn't do, and started to give in to the despair. I started to lose hope that he would ever come home, until finally all of my prayers were answered.

I heard the doorbell ring, but just assumed it was Bella or Rose coming to hang out with my brothers. Or at least until I heard a loud yell and then two sets of feet pounding up the staircase. Oookaay.

My confusion was increased when both of my brothers burst into my room with identical grins on their faces.

"Alice, you'd better get your ass downstairs _right now_!" they yelled simultaneously in that freaky twin way.

"Um, why?" I asked, but they were already out the door and on their way back down the stairs. I got up slowly and walked nervously towards all the noise, trying to figure out what could've made Edward and Emmett so happy.

My question was answered when I reached the family room.

"JASPER!" I screamed in an unbelievably shrill voice as I launched myself into his arms. I barely noticed the sling on his arm in time to avoid it. Then, as soon as it registered in my mind that he had a sling on, I screamed again.

"What the hell happened to your arm?"

I felt, rather than heard him laugh, since my head was pressed against his chest.

"Calm down, Alice! It was just a stray bullet." He explained. Oh, how I had missed that adorable southern drawl.

I gasped. "You got yourself shot?" I knew I was getting all worked up, but I had just found out my boyfriend was shot! I think I had the right to get a little freaked out.

Jasper seemed to sense this, so he wrapped his good arm tighter around me and said, "Relax, it wasn't that bad. Through and through-barely bad enough to get a medical discharge."

"But still, it's a bullet, I mean that has to be bad…" then I realized what he said, "wait, discharge? As in, you don't have to go back? Ever?"

"Exactly. Now would you please give me a kiss? I haven't seen you in six months for God's sake!"

So I laughed and kissed my soldier, all the while thanking God that the nickname no longer applied…or at least not literally. He'd always acted like a soldier before, and he probably would for the rest of his life. When I pulled back, though, I noticed that his smile seemed the slightest bit forced. I immediately panicked, thinking maybe his arm was hurting more than he had let on.

"What's wrong, baby? Is it your arm? Do you need me to do anything?" And then a thought occurred to me. "Hey, why didn't you write about this," I gestured to his shoulder, "in your letter? What, was a bullet to the shoulder not big enough news to share with the girlfriend you claim to love?"

Jasper rolled his eyes, but I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me.

"Jazz, what happened?" I whispered softly as I pulled him down onto the couch with me.

He sighed, then answered, "On my last day, I was on watch duty with that guy I wrote you about, Paul, and we were ambushed, I'm still not sure exactly who it was, but I took a bullet to the shoulder and Paul…"

"Yeah?" I asked, scared to hear the answer.

"He was killed in the crossfire." He said, his face telling me that he was seriously hurting, no matter what he didn't say.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry baby. When…" I cleared my throat, "When's the funeral?"

"Next Thursday," he answered sullenly. "Would you come with me? His wife, Charlotte, asked me to say something at the service. I guess he talked about me in _his_ letters home, too." He chuckled humorlessly.

I placed my hand on his cheek, kissed his forehead, and replied, "Of course I'll come with you."

0o0

I'd never liked funerals, but personally I think anyone who can't truthfully say that is seriously disturbed. What made this one slightly more awkward is that Jasper and I didn't really know anyone there. We just sat there silently, and I knew he was nervous when he started tapping his foot on the ground.

Finally, it was time for Jazz to get up and speak. He hadn't told me what he was going to say, so I was listening as intently as everyone else.

He cleared his throat and started talking. "I didn't know Paul that long, but I knew him long enough to know that he was a wonderful man. He was strong, loyal, and smart, and he was one of the best soldiers I know. I was lucky to have known him, and lucky to have been able to call him a friend.

The first time I met Paul, I had just gotten a letter from my girlfriend, and I could _not _stop smiling all day. So this guy walks up to me and says, 'Who's the girl?' I just looked at him wondering how in the world he could've known that, and he goes on to say, 'The only thing that can make a man smile like that is a woman. So tell me, what's her name?' We talked for what seemed like forever, and I realized that not once had he commented on how young I was. I was talking about this girl like she was my _life, _and he acted like it was perfectly natural. I was…amazed.

Paul was an incredible person, and even though we should be sad that he was taken away from us before his time, I know that I, at least, am just happy that he was here at all."

Jazz sat back down next to me and I looked around, broken out of the spell his voice had woven around us. It seemed like everyone there was crying after his speech. **(AN: I know his speech was a little short, but the more I wrote the more it sounded like a wedding speech, so I cut some of it.) **

0o0

We got home after the funeral and Jasper still hadn't said a word. When we walked in the door to my house, I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

He blinked, as if just noticing that I was in front of him. "Yeah…it's just…it seems unfair that this war has taken the lives of so many people. I mean, I knew it before, but Paul dying just made it so much more real. And I want to believe in a higher power, but it's hard to do when you've seen as much death as I have these past few months."

I hesitated for a moment, thinking, and then replied. "Well, just think of it this way; to us, the war took Paul away, but to him, maybe it took him to a better place. That's what I believe, what I've had to believe for the last six months, or I would've died from worry every time a story about soldiers dying in Iraq came on the news."

He smiled softly and kissed me before whispering, "Thank you."

I smiled and kissed him back. "That's what I'm here for."

0o0

Jasper and I were in the car on the way home from our favorite restaurant, where we had celebrated our two year anniversary, and he was acting kinda weird. He had barely spoken all night, and he was really jittery. With anyone else it wouldn't be weird, but Jasper was usually bizarrely calm, which is probably one of the reasons why I was always so calm around him.

"Are you okay Jazz?" I asked hesitantly. Last time he was this quiet he was trying to tell me that he was going to war.

He turned to look at me, smiled really big, and replied, "Everything's perfect." I swear, even after two years, that southern accent of his could still make me melt. Almost enough for me to forget why I was worried...almost.

"Then why have you been so quiet tonight?" I said as I intertwined my fingers with his over the middle console of the car.

"Have I? I hadn't noticed." He smiled again, picked up our hands, and kissed them before turning back to the road. We were almost to my house, and I silently thanked Rose, Bella, and Esme for making sure we would be alone. Not that we would do anything (damn Jasper and his stupid gentlemanliness), but it would still be nice not to have Edward and Emmett eavesdropping on everything we said…or did.

"Well you have, and it's weird, so say something. I mean, you're never exactly chatty, but tonight you're just downright silent. I feel like I'm on a date with a mime or something!"

He just chuckled and said, "I love you, Ali."

We had finally pulled into my driveway, so I leaned over and kissed him. To my surprise, he kissed me back fervently. Usually he only kissed me like this when we were in my room and had been studying for hours – when his guard was down.

After a few minutes we pulled apart, both breathing heavily, and I said, somewhat unnecessarily, "I love you too."

Jasper jerked his head toward the house and said, "Let's go inside. I have a present for you."

"A present?" That definitely got my attention. It's not that I'm a shallow person or anything, I just happen to enjoy presents.

He chuckled again and nodded, before coming around to open my door. I'd stopped trying to tell him I could open my own door long ago, and just accepted that it was something he did.

We were sitting on the couch, me almost on Jasper's lap, when I said, "So…what's this I hear about a present?"

"You'll get it, just be patient."

"Oh yeah, 'cause I do _so_ well with patience."

Jasper kissed my cheek and replied, "Just find something to watch, my little pixie."

I sighed and started flipping through the channels before finally settling on _Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End_. It was one of my favorite movies. And I was just in time to see my favorite part, where Will and Elizabeth have just gotten married and have that amazing kiss scene.

"Best kiss scene ever." I commented.

"You're such a girl." He replied.

"Why do guys always say that? I mean, we all know that whenever a girl says that, you go home and watch the scene over and over again looking for tips."

"I don't know_ one _guy that does that," he challenged.

"Well, it's either that or Emmett has just watched _The Notebook _way too many times to be healthy, because it always seems to be missing from my shelf."

"Seriously? Oh, he is _never _gonna hear the end of this."

I rolled my eyes. "So…I'm starting to think you just made up this present to get me out of the car."

Now it was Jasper's turn to roll his eyes. "Geez, you're persistent," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. "Here," he finished as he handed me the box.

There are very few things that come in little black boxes, but I didn't want to get my hopes up, so I prepared myself for earrings or something. So when I opened it and saw a gorgeous diamond ring, I was speechless.

I looked up after a few silent moments to see Jasper's face only an inch or two from mine, staring straight into my eyes.

"Marry me?" he whispered.

I was still in shock, so it took me a minute to reply. But when I did… "YES!"

I tackled him into the couch cushions, both of us laughing as I rained kisses on his face.

0o0

About an hour later, after we had finally calmed down, I took the time to wonder how he'd managed to afford such a beautiful ring.

He must have known where my mind was going (one of the reasons I loved him…he knew me so well), because he said, "The ring was my mother's. Rose's mom gave it to me a few weeks ago, when she realized how serious we were. I hope you like it." Then he smiled, knowing that I did.

"It's incredible, Jazz. I love it, and I love you."

"I'm glad." And then we kissed some more.

0o0

Six months later, I walked down the aisle towards the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. I couldn't keep the giant smile off my face, and I couldn't believe that he was mine.

We said our vows, although I almost forgot mine and Esme was crying so loud during Jasper's that I almost couldn't hear him.

And then we kissed, and I had to remind myself that we weren't alone because I was just so happy. Jasper was my soldier, and he would be for the rest of our lives.

**So I hope you guys liked it. Here are a few things I know probably don't add up (if you didn't notice anything wrong, please skip over this so I don't ruin it for you):**

**I'm not completely sure whether or not all the ages and time gaps fit or not…it was really hard to keep track of in my head.**

**My descriptions of kisses probably suck, since it's hard to write what you've never experienced.**

**I **_**know **_**that my army stuff isn't accurate, but what I wrote just fit better and was easier to write.**

**But besides all of that, I hope it was good. Please review! They make me really happy!**

**Hoping I don't suffocate under all the mounds of homework I have,**

**Mel**


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